Circular-knitting machine



Nov. 30 1926.

J. A. MILLS CIRCULARKNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept.

Nov. 30 1926.

J. A. MILLS CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed sept. 12, 1924 ssheets-sheet z Nov. 30

J. A. MILLS CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. Yl2, 1924 3Sheets-Sheet 3 wl. F

Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED STAT-ES -Pnjillit'i OFFC..

dessus-.Kissesline MACHINE.

Application inea september 1e, 1924, sensi No. 737,323, and in Greatinnata september 1 9, ieee.

rlhis invention relates to improvements inl circular knitting; machinesin Which latch needles are employed, and its object is to produce onsuch machines,v seamless garments or tubular 'fabrics Which arefashioned by increasing; or diminishing the number of needles which areinaction from time to time, and thus actually increasing or diminishing`the number of verticaly Wales at dill rent points in the length of theWork, as 1s necessary in order to produce properly fashioned goods.

The invention may however in some cases be applied to circular wehmachines 'solely tor the purpose of providing in one and the samemachine, Nfacilities ltor producing tubular fabrics ot varyingdimensions.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. l is a sectional elevation, and

Fig', 2 a plan oi a circular knitting machine to which my invention isapplied.

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the cam ring lor actuating the fashioninjgneedles and the instruments cooperating` with the same.

Fig. 4 .is a plan, and

Fig. 5 an elevation showing the needle jack operating` mechanismdetached.

Fig. S is a view showing' a complete set ot e achs disposed one behindthe 'other'.

. T is a vertical section, and

S a plan ofi a. segment ol the machine.

9 and lO are corresponding views Filis.

to Figs, and 8.

Figs. T to l0 are drawn to a larger scale than Figs. l. t0 '6.,

Lilie letters .indicate like parte throughout the drawings. y

In a circular knitting machine tor producin gr plain 'fashioned tubularja'bric constructedaccordingg to my invention (see Figs. l and 2) partof the needles ik are disposed in tricks in a vertical needle 'cylinderC, Whilst the remainder B, hereinafter termed the tashioning needles,are disposed in the upper iace of an annular bed D Which surroundsthevneedle cylinder C, which tace is located a little higher than theupper endv ot the cylinder and in a plane at right anto the airis ot thecylinder. v

The needles A in the cylinder C are disposed at regular 'intervals allround the latter, and are operated inthe usual 'manner by cams inacam-ring E (see Fig. l) engaging with butts A at their lower ende.

rilhe 'i'asliioninig needles B vwhich are disposed in radial tricks orrecesses provided cr them in the upper tace of the annular bed D, are'arranged with ytheir hooked ends on the inner and their 'butted ends onthe outer side of the said bed, and they are thus disposed so as to drawtheir loops outwards, that is, in the same direction the lcylinderneedles A, and as a result a plain fabric is produced. l

ln the preferred arrangement, one fash` lening` need-le B is einpiioyedto every three cylinder needles A, and they are arranged in the annularbed D at regular internals, that is, three cylinder needles apart. Thearrangement oill the needles B may however he varied to suit dilierentrequirements.

The tashioning` needles B are moved inby means o v'l jacks G into therange or cn ns in cani rii i?, which latter is dis-` posed a'bcve thebed D, and is connected to the cam ring); EE by a post E (see Fig. 2).The needles B are then actuated by said came so as to knit thecoii1se,a'iid are subsequently delivered clear of the lcams again. Ifthe needles B 'are to knit every course, they must -therefore be movedin every time by the jacks G. The cams in the ring F act on the butts Bat 'the outer ends of vthe needles, and the inner ends oi? the latterWork through between two cylinder needles passing "from the outer to theinner side in order to 'cl their loops and take the thread 'from 'thefeeder '.'for the nent course, 'and are entirely n."ithdra'ivn from :thecylinder needle when knocking over the loops and completa course.

The fashioning needles B 'thus each ivorl; between tivo cylinder needleshut no extra space is lleft het-neen the latter, and as `'the loops onthe liashioning` needles B are drawn through in 'the same direction asvthose on the cylinder needles A, a plain ei'lec't isal- Ways producedby them as previously descrihed, Whilst the fabric is fashioned byputting' more or of the ashioning needles 'i3 into orout ot action asthe Work `proceeds.

When a. tashioning` needle B is for instance in action7 it `lrnits avertical Wale Bti which is d isposed between the two wales produced bythe two neighbouring cylinder nee* dles A between which the fashioningneedle B works, whilst on the other. hand, when a fashioning needle B isput out of action, the wale produced by it is suppressed, and the twocylinder needles a on either side of it, knit vertical wales which arenow the correct distance apart.

A seamless garment or fabric can thus be fashioned by starting forexample to knit on all the cylinderl needles A and all the fashioningneedles B, and gradually reducing the number of the latter needles B inac tion, thereby narrowing the work at it proceeds.

ln one arrangement for example, the fashioning needles B are subdividedinto four groups, each of which is disposed in a different segment ofthe machine, and one or more of the corresponding needle or needles ineach group is or are put out of action simultaneously as hereinafterdescribed, so that each narrowing will occur at four or more points inthe circumference of the work, and will be uniformly distributed roundthe tubular fabric, which may for example be a stocking leg.

lVhen a fashioning needle B is put out of action, it is necessary, inorder to avoid a fault, for that needle to deliver its loop on to thecylinder needle A on the right or left of it, means are thereforenecessary to effect this result, and such means will be hereinafterreferred to, after describing the arrangement for operating andcontrolling the fashioning needles B.

The j aclis G 'in connection with the fashioning needles B are disposedin the same tricks or recesses as their needles, and are adapted toengage with the outer end of the latter and move them inwards. Theneedles B are thus brought into action when the jacks push them inwards,and as previously stated this action must take place every time they arerequired to knit. The inner end portions of the jacks G are arrangedunder the outer end portions of the fashioning needles B, and workhorizontally and parallel to them.

These jaclrs G project on the eXterior of the bed D in which they arelocated and their outer ends are stepped as shown in Fig. 6, so that thewhole or any required number of them can be acted vupon by a cam plateH, by adjusting the height of the latter. As shown in Fig. 6 eight jacksare shown, and their outer ends are cut so that they go out of actionone after the other as the cam H is lowered step by step.

'lhese jacks G may be distributed in any required order in therespective groups of needles B according to the order it is desired toput the said needles out of action.

Referring new to Fig. 3, which is an inverted plan of the cam ring F foractuating the fashioning needles B, a is the point where the needles Bare pushed in by the jacks G and their butts are then delivered into thecam groove 7), they clear their loopsI and take the new thread at c,whilst d is the knitting cam which after knitting the course deliversthe needles with their buttsl in line with the space e, that is, clearor' the cam groove 7).

The butts B of those needles B which are not pushed in by their jacks Gso as to enter the groove b, run into the outer space e and are moved inby the earn y" far enough to cast oil their loops, but nel far enough totalre the thread from the feeder, and they therefore automaticallyrv roout of action under these circumstances.

rl`he blank space g in the cam ring` is provided for removing damagedneedles` and may be lled-in by means of a readily removable part ifdesired The cam plate H which revolves with the cam ring B, acts on theouter ends of the jacks G and pushes them in in succession. This plate H(see Figs. l-t and 5) is carried by a sleeve J which slides verticallyon a hollow vertical pillar J carried on the cam ring E, and it islowered step by step, by means of a stepped face cam lwliich is mounteden a vertical axle li. also carried on the cam ring E. The sleeve ll isprovided with an arm J2 which rests on the top of the cam K, and thelatter intermittently advanced by the following er rangement in order toraise and lower thc cam plate H.

Attached to the underside of the face cam K, is a toothed wheel L whichge red to a pinion M on an axle lvl (see l? il carried by the cam ringE.

Mounted on the same axle lvl" as the piu-- ion M, is a lever N providedwith a par-:l N which engages with the teeth of tlul pinion M.

frs the whole arrangement moves rounffl with the cam ring E, a studwhich is verrically adjustable is raised into the path cf the free endof the lever N as required, and the latter is then actuated and advA listhe wheel li and cam l. rllhe lever N is rcturned to its originalposition by means of a spring (i), which is connected to an arm' on theaxle M to which the lever is also connected. N3 is a. pivotedspringactuated check-pawl or check-lever provided with a projectionwhich engages with the teeth of the wheel L, and which forms aresistance which prevents accidental and undesirable movements of thesaid wheel.

ln order to bring all the jacks G into action simultaneously whenever itis required, a supplementary cam plate P which is pivoted on a` part Psecured to the cam ring F, is moved into its operative posilll-3 tion bymeans vof anincline Q (see 5) on the upper end of a pin Q which worlrsin the interior of the hollow pillar J, and this pin is provided with anarm Q2 Fig. l) and a downward extension Q3 which bears on a cam K2 inthe interior of the stepped cani l.

The cam l it will be understood is providing,` for putting thefashioning needles B out of action in succession, whilst the cam K2 isused to bring,` all the fashioning needles into action againsimultaneously at the proper time, after putting the whole or a portionof th-em out of action in order to fashion the leg of a hose or othergarment.

lt will also be understood, that by controlling` the rising movements ofthe stud which engages with the lever N by means of pattern chainmechanism for example, full automatic control is provided.

ln order to insure that the fashioning needles B will under the peculiarcircumstances under which they work, draw the saine length of loop asthe cylinder needles A, a. result which is absolutely necessary in orderto produce perfect work, a cam actuated instrument or jack Bv isprovided in connection with each of said needles B, and theseinstruments are moved up and hold the work directly under eachfashioning needle B as it drawing` its loop. The loops are thereforeeach drawn over an instrument, the position of each of which relativelyto its needle during,- the knitting); of a course, is controlled bycams, which latter can be adapted to actuate the instruments as isrequired to give perfect results.

rQhese instruments R, shown more clearly in F lgs. to l0, are eachdisposed in a trick or recess provided for itat the side of itscorrespending` needle B, but in a sunk portion on the inner side of theneedle bed F, and said jacks are formed with nebs R which engage in andare actuated by a cani groove /L (see Fig. 3) in the same cani ring- Fthat carries the fashioning needle knitting cams. The inner ends ofthese jacks R are each provided with a part R2 which is disposedparallel to the needle bed F, and is situated on the underside of itsneedle, and this part is formed with a forked or hollowed out extremityadapted to engage with and hold the work. The said parts ,R2 are alsoeach provided with a needle stop R3.

lllhen a fashioning needle B is put out of action, its loop must for thereason pref viously mentioned be delivered on to the cylinder needle Aon the right or left of it, and this is effect-ed in the followingmanner. The fashioning needle B is held back owing to its butt being`located in the cam space e (see Fig. 3) and at the same time its innerend is sprung sideways as shown in Fig. 10 in order to bringits loopdirectly over the cylinder needle A on its right, which latter can thenthrough the loop on the fashioning needle B. The latter is thensubsequently moved in by the cam f previously referred to, so as to castod or clear its loop and leave it solely on the cylinder needle A..

The ends of the fashioning needles B are moved sideways as to bring themin the correct relation relatively to the cylinder needles A in the actof transferring the loops as previously described, by means of pins Sdisposed in holes in the fashioning needle bed l). 'l'hese pins S areprovided with flats which are disposed close up to the sides of theneedles B, and by movingv these pins S angularly, the flats act on andspring the needles sideways as previously described.. The stops R3 onthe aolrs R are provided to limit the bending action of the needles B.

The pins S described are provided with arms S on the underside of thebed l), and the arm or arms S in connection with the needle or needleswhich are to transfer their loops, are as the bed nieves round, engagedby the inner end of a sli-de T see 9 and l0) which latter is moved in atthe proper time to effect the required result.

The slide T described inoved in as required by ine-ans of a lever V (eeeFig. 2) which is pivoted at V to the lined slide carrying bracket T andis engaged by vertical pin l 72 on a second lever lill which is pivotedat W to the cam plate l-l previously described, so that it descends withthe latter.

When the cain plate H is moved down one step, the outer ends of theiacksG which are not in consequence moved inward by said plate, come incontact with the free end of the lever W, thereby actuating` the latterand imparting` the required inward movement to the slide T to effect thetransf-er of the loops on each of the fashioning` needles in turn asthey are put out of action.

The jacks G cannot be pushed in by the lever W owing to the butts B onthe corresponding needles B engaging;- at this time with and being heldback by the rib y' (see Fig. 3) between the cain lgroove and outer spacec in the cam ring;` F. vWidenings may be effected by reversing theoperation described, that is, by gradually increasing` the number offashioning needles which are in action, but the. formation of eyeletholes where the said needles come into action cannot be entirely avoidedwithout transferring` loops from the cylinder needles, and this presentsconsiderable difficulties.

The defect referred to may however be minimized to a considerable extentby adoptingthe following course. ViThen a fashioning needle is broughtinto action, its end is bent over by the means hereinbefore described,so that it lirst takes the thread a cylinder needle space to the rightor left lili of its normal position and subsequently returns to andcontinues to knit in its proper position.

In this case two small eyelet holes are forn'ied instead of one largeone.

ln circular web machines for making` seamless 'tubular fabrics, in whichno fash- .ci'iing or sinipinpl is required, part of the inventiondescribed may be adopted for the purpose of providing in such machinesfa cilities for makingfabrics of varying` Widths.

F or example a machine such as described may be provided with half asmany faslr Mining, needles as there are cylinder needles, and provisionis made for bringing, more or less of the former into action accordingto the dimensions of the tubular fabric required from time to time.

rihe invention is also applicable to circular rib machines as the use ofthe fashion ingi needles described is not affected by the presence ofrib needles.

`What l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters `Patent isl. in a circular lmittingmachine,the com bination with a cylinderprovided with cylinder needles, and a needle bed provided withilfashioning needles which Work cross- `vise of the cylinder needles,and draw their loops in the same direction as the latter; of camactuated instruments provided with end portions arranged under andsubstantially parallel to the fashioningl needles and which eo-operatewith the said needles and hold the work and permit each fashioning`needle to draw its proper length of loop.

2. A combination of parts as set forth in claim l, a single cam beingprovided to operate the said fashioning needles and also the saidinstruments, the latter beingprovvided with projections which engagewith `the said cam.

3. A combination of parts as set forth in claim l, the said instrumentsbeing,` provided With stops arranged to one side of the inner endportions of the fashioningneedles and which operate to limit theirmovements when sprung laterally out of their normal positions.

4;. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with a cylinderprovided with cylinder needles, and a needle bed provided withfashioningneedles Which Work cross- Wise of the cylinder needles anddraw their loops in the same direction as the latter; of cam actuatedinstruments provided with end portions arranged under and substarntially parallel to the fashioning needles, and means for springing theinner end portions of the said fasliioniim,l needles laterally when theyare put out of action, so as to transfer the loops from the fashioningneedles to the cylinder needles.

A. combination of parts as set forth in claim el, the said fashioningneedles being; provided with controlling` jacks, and the said means forspringing the fashioning needles beingl actuated by the said controllingjacks.

(l. A. combination of parte as set forti in claim 1l, the saidfashioning needles beingl provided with controlling jacks, and 'the saidmeans for springing the fashionine; needles con'iprising` oscillatorypins provided with surfaces for engaging with the fashioning needles,arms secured to the said pins, a Islide carried by lthe said needle bed,and a pivoted lever operated by the said controlling jacks so as topress the said slide inwardly against the said arms and thereby move thesaid pins axially to spring the fashioning needles.

In witness "whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH ALFRED MILLS.

